Beginning The Hunt
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: John Winchester, widowed at twenty eight, was left with two young sons and many disturbing memories of how his wife died. This is the story of how he learned to deal with the world he knew nothing about. Season 1 spoilers!
1. Prologue

**Beginning the Hunt**

_Prologue_

_November 4th, 1983_

John Winchester sat at the tiny table in his room at The Ridley Inn, which happened to be the only place in Lawrence with an available room. Looking behind him at the queen size bed, he watched his eldest son sleep peacefully while his youngest lay in the crib beside the table. The crib was one of few things John had bought since his wife's death two days before, including clothes for himself and the boys.

Everything the Winchesters had ever owned was in their house, and now it was probably all gone, burned to the ground. But since that day hardly anything had changed for them, despite their surroundings and one less person. It was odd, almost disappointing, that everything seemed normal to them, at least that's what John thought. Sammy was too young to understand what had happened to his mother and his home, he was only six months old after all. But surely Dean would understand, or show some signs of missing his mother. But during the days the four year old usually sat watching TV or keeping his baby brother from disturbing their father.

Over the two days, friends and the little family that lived close had come to the inn baring gifts for the boys and they tried to console John as best they could. Saying usual nonsense such as they 'knew how he felt' or he 'had a right to feel angry or sad.' _'How can they know how I feel?'_ John asked himself. You see, the truth was that while the twenty-eight year old was indeed both sad and angry over Mary's death, he was confused more than anything else.

For two days straight he just sat at the same little table staring out into space, recalling the memory of that night. The seconds he spent in the nursery would haunt him forever, he knew. But a moment didn't go by when he didn't second-guess himself about exactly what he saw there. It was absurd – impossible, really, for Mary to be _pinned_ to the ceiling. And the fire… how did that start? Of course, John also considered the thought that someone or some_thing_ had killed her. But there were two problems with that theory. One, there was no man or animal strong enough to lift a woman to the ceiling and pin her there. And two, all the windows and doors in the whole house were locked. Not even a mouse could've gotten in without leaving a trail. All this led the man to think that what he saw was just a bad nightmare, which was, in fact, what it had turned into.

John also thought about what would've happened if he hadn't gone to watch TV in the living room that night. Maybe if he stayed behind he could've gotten to the nursery before Mary. Even kill whoever – or whatever – destroyed his family. _'If only I could go back…'_ he thought repeatedly. Alas, he could not. And so he knew he'd have to deal with the death and his visions all alone – and very soon, too.


	2. Truth

_Author's Notes:_

Thanks to _YourOnlyBelle_ and _DaughtersofGondor_ for reviewing and correcting me on the date of Mary's death. Your help is much appreciated!

_Chapter One: Truth_

_November 7th, 1983_

Snow fell from the heavens as clouds darkened the sky. The people of Lawrence ran to the shelter of their homes, glad to be rid of the cold. That is, everyone but John. He would've gladly gone out into the snow in nothing but a bath robe, and while some may have called him crazy or suicidal, that was simply how his grieving process worked. Right now it seemed better to die than to go on without Mary.

His brother-in-law, Jerry, had come an hour or two before to take the Sam and Dean to the park and back to his house to see their cousins. Flicking through TV channels, John stopped on the news. The barely dressed weather girl reported a minute later that a blizzard wasn't far off. Sitting up, he wondered if they'd be caught in the blizzard. The boys were all John had now. He didn't have any family left on his side, and he certainly wasn't fond of his in-laws. Turning off the television, he stood up and put on his coat, preparing to go find Jerry, it was then that there was a knock at the door.

Turning on the over-head light, John opened the door and was greeted by a smiling face. The man in front of him was clearly a police officer, judging from the uniform he wore, and looked to be around forty.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Winchester," the man said. "My name is Conrad Thompson; I'm investigating the fire at your home a few days ago. And I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about it."

John was hardly in the mood to speak to any sort of cop. All he wanted to do right now was find his boys. "Actually, officer, I'm…"

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, sir, but this is very important and it'll only take a few moments."

"I already answered the police's questions when the fire happened. What else is there to ask?"

Officer Thompson chuckled softly. "A lot, actually. Please, sir. Just a few minutes and I'll leave." Reluctantly, John stepped aside and let the officer step inside his room.

-Five Minutes Later-

The men were now seated at the table with a steaming hot pot of coffee in front of them. "So," began John, "what can I help you with?"

"Well, first off, I need to know how the fire started." Thompson took a pad of paper and pencil out of his coat pocket as he spoke.

John slowly took a sip of his coffee, trying to think of a reasonable answer. There was no way he was going to admit to a cop what he thought he saw. "Er, I think it was old wiring in the house. At least, that's what I was told."

"So then, you didn't leave any candles burning, or forget to check the fireplace?"

"We didn't have a fireplace, and we didn't light any candles that night either."

Thompson took a few notes. "I heard there was a fatality, your wife, was it?"

"Yes."

"I don't suppose you've been told _how_ she died."

"Shouldn't you know that already?" John raised an eyebrow.

Chuckling again, Thompson took a small sip of his drink. "Yes, of course, but I need to know what you think. Don't worry, Mr. Winchester, these are routine questions. Just making sure this was an accident and not some arsonist's work."

"As far as I know she died from smoke-intake. And as for that arsonist, I didn't hear anyone around the house that night." John was growing impatient now, and he definitely didn't like these questions.

"Ah, but you said before that you were asleep when the fire started, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well then, there's a possibility that you were sleeping and didn't hear anyone near the house."

"I suppose…"

The officer quickly finished his coffee and put away his note pad. "Sir, is there anything else you'd like to tall me?"

"You know everything, officer," John lied.

Sighing, Thompson stood. "I doubt it. But there's really nothing I can do to make you tell me any more, so I think I'll just leave." With that he made his way to the door.

"Wait," John called him back, knowing that he'd regret it later. Once the officer was back in his seat, John continued. "Has someone ever been…Er…?" He trailed off, not knowing exactly how much he wanted to reveal.

Thompson grinned widely. "Your wife was on the ceiling, wasn't she? In your baby's room?" John's mouth hung open in shock, and it was a good enough answer for the officer.

"How did you know?" was all he managed to get out.

Thompson gazed down at the floor, looking rather guilty. "I'm not a real cop," he admitted. "My real name is Myles Darking, and I'm a hunter."

It wasn't hard for John to get used to the idea that the man in front of him wasn't a cop, he hadn't acted like one since he'd first introduced himself. But the only part that really confused the younger man was what being a hunter had to do with what happened to Mary. And then an idea struck him. "You're not a regular hunter, are you?"

"No. You may find this hard to believe, John… may I call you John? Demons, vampires, werewolves – all of that supernatural mumbo jumbo – it's real. That's what I hunt."

If it wasn't for his realization that 'supernatural' seemed to be the perfect description for what got Mary, John would have fainted right then and there. "S-So," he stuttered, "what killed my wife?"

"I think it was a demon," Myles answered, pouring himself a second cup of coffee. "And a powerful one, too. I've been tracking it for some time now."

"Great, so how are you going to kill it?" For the first time in five days, John could see light at the end of the tunnel.

"Kill it? No, no, no. I'm not gonna kill it, at least not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have anything to kill it with! Listen carefully, John, demons are very powerful creatures, the most powerful of all supernatural beings, and it take a lot to kill them. Not just a silver bullet or stake to the heart, if you get my meaning."

Needless to say that John wasn't the happiest man in the world right now. His hopes of getting revenge had just been lifted and then crushed, all within the last five minutes. "Why are you telling me all this, then?"

"Because you asked, and I'm not so cruel as to leave you thinking you've gone crazy. I remember what it was like to second-guess your memory and sight. It's not what you need right now." Again Myles finished his coffee and made his way to the door, this time stopping short of it and turning to face John again. "I am sorry that I can't help you more, but I'll get that thing eventually."

"What if I need you?"

"For what?" Myles questioned.

"You know… supernatural stuff."

Myles laughed and pulled from his back pocket a small piece of paper. Handing it to John he said: "My cell number's there. Call me if you find any… pests." And with a wink, the hunter left John take in all the information he'd just been given.

_Author's Notes:_

Hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it. Oh, I should just say that this is my first Supernatural fan fic, so please forgive me if I mess up on some of the facts. I welcome feedback, good or bad, so please review soon.

-Lizzy


	3. Seance

_Author's Notes:_

Thanks for your review, _sammygirl1963_. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

And to _Dirty_ _Little_ _Butterfly_; yes, I did create Myles, and yes, I'm well aware of Daniel Elkins. However, it's my theory that Daniel didn't teach John _everything_. Anyway, on with the story….

_Chapter Two_

_November 10__th__, 1983_

It took John a little while to realize what had happened, not just to Mary but to Sammy too. After all, it had happened in _his_ room and Mr. Darking had known about that too. He acted like it always happened in the nursery. This made John think that, while Mary was the victim, maybe she wasn't supposed to be. From that moment on he began keeping a closer eye on his youngest son, knowing now that there may be something very special about him.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and a perfect day to go outside. Most of the snow from Wednesday's blizzard had melted already, and the rest was just slush. Today Mary's sister, Leanne had arrived in Lawrence for the coming funeral and, of course, to see her nephews. John hadn't given much thought to the funeral and was more than happy to let his mother-in-law handle everything.

Flicking through channels with Dean by his side, John noted how there was nothing interesting on, ever. Handing the controller over, he made his way over to the crib where Sam was playing with a stuffed dog that his mother had bought a month ago. It was around this time that John decided he needed some fresh air and he was lucky, as Leanne's car had just pulled into the hotel's drive-way. Barely acknowledging John, the thirty-two-year-old ran passed him and immediately gave Dean a big hug, nearly choking him and right after she hurried to pick up Sammy.

"Nice to see you too, Lee," John muttered as he closed the door.

"Huh? Oh, hi, Johnny. How are you?" It would have been clear to a deaf person that there was anything but interest in Leanne's voice as she scurried all over the room, collecting the boys' things for their outing.

"Just great," he said, running to grab Sammy as the mad woman tripped over one of Dean's toy trucks.

"You know, John, you might want to think of hiring a maid. Honestly, you can't expect to raise two young boys in this mess!"

Groaning, John returned Sam to his crib and turned back to see Leanne now struggling to fit Dean into a new sweater she'd just bought him which was clearly two sizes too small. "For starters, this is a _hotel_, we have maids. And second, it's not like I'm planning on staying here much longer. I do still have a house, after all."

The older woman gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in surprise, giving Dean enough time to tear the tiny sweater off and run to the safety of the joining bathroom. "You're not actually planning on going back to that house, are you?"

"Why not?"

"Mary died in there! And think of all the damage." Indeed John had considered all of this, expecting a lecture from his in-laws coming, and he knew that this wouldn't be the last, either.

"The damage is minimal, and I don't really have another choice."

Sitting in a little diner he'd found while driving around a half hour ago, John thought about where to go after he finished his stew. The answer wasn't as simple as one would traditionally think. Home wasn't an option until the police were finished examining it for arson; he was taking a few weeks off of work; he didn't have anything that needed buying; and without the boys he couldn't see himself going to the park. Truthfully, the only thing that he could think about was Myles Darking and his form of hunting.

A thousand times since Wednesday, the little piece of paper containing Myles' phone number had been taken out of John's coat pocket and stared at for at least ten minutes. It was the only thing he felt he could do right now to stay connected to that world – the one he longed to know more about. Taking a sip of his water, he tried with all his might to think of any way he could help in the hunting. He wondered so badly about the other victims of the demon and about the families that had been left behind, like his. Figuring out what to do, John quickly paid his bill any ran out of the diner.

-Twenty Minutes Later-

John stood in the local library, staring at the shelves containing mysterious books. Of course, he knew perfectly well that half of the books there were fiction and meant for a laugh or to scare kids, but that's pretty much how he used to feel about vampires too. Having no luck with the books, he sat down at one of the library's computers and began searching strange sightings in Kansas. Thousands of matches popped up on the screen. '_I've got to narrow down the list_,' he thought.

Then he typed in two keywords: 'fire' and 'nursery'. This time four replies came up. Slowly and uncertainly, John clicked on the first. It took place ten years back in a city not too far from Lawrence. Apparently a psychotic man had broken into the apartment of the Campbell family and set fire to their baby's room. Thankfully the family got out of the apartment safe and the man was arrested. The second article was about how an electrician was being sued for a bad wiring job in a nursery which had resulted in a fire. And the third told of a woman who, after her husband's death, set fire to her son's room. It was the fourth story that really caught John's attention. According to the article, April Masterson was badly injured while trying to rescue her daughter from a burning nursery.

'_Only three years ago,_' John noted, now typing the woman's name in a search engine to find her current address. A match came up a minute later for an April Masterson living in Lawrence, a few streets away from the Inn. After writing the address down on the back of a receipt he found in his pocket, John walked back to his '67 Impala parked just outside the library and drove off to meet Mrs. Masterson.

-An Hour Later-

It was nearing three o'clock now and John knew that Leanne would be arriving back at the hotel with the boys soon. Or at least, she should be, but knowing Leanne she'd be two hours late and wouldn't bother to give an excuse.

For the third time, he rang the doorbell, waited a second, then gave up hope and turned to walked back to his car. It was hearing the click of the door being unlocked that made him stop and turn back. A woman now stood in the doorway. Her shoulder-length strawberry blond hair was pulled back in a pony tail, her green eyes looked tired, her mouth was twisted into a shy smile and John noticed that she had her right arm hidden behind the door. "Can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was low, almost like a whisper.

"Yes. My name is John Winchester. I'm researching major fires in Kansas, and I happened to find a newspaper clipping about yours. I was wondering if I could talk to you about it."

The woman's smile faltered slightly, but she made no move to close the door. "I'm sorry, Mr. Winchester. It was such a long time ago, I'm not sure I'd be any help."

"Please, ma'am. This is very important.

She looked hesitant for a moment, then stepped aside so that John could come into the house. "Would you like some coffee? I just made a pot."

"Yes, thank you." John followed her into the kitchen where a girl around Dean's age was seated at the breakfast table coloring a picture.

"This is my daughter, Danica," the woman said. "Please, sit down."

John did as was told and was startled when the girl suddenly looked up at him. She had her mother's green eyes and kind smile, but her hair was in brown curls.

"Now, how can I help?" April placed a mug of coffee on the table for John and he couldn't help but notice that her hand looked badly burned. "Oh, you noticed." She was now trying to hide her hand behind her apron as she sat down. "That's from the fire."

"I was just wondering ..." He wasn't sure where to start. "How did the fire start?"

"Didn't they print that in the papers? Well, I'm not sure, of course, but I think a candle may have been knocked over."

"Did it start in the nursery?"

"Yes." She was beginning to squirm in her seat.

"Why did you have lit candles in there?"

"I-I can't remember." April quickly stood and began tidying up the kitchen.

"Mrs. Masterson –"

"Please, call me April."

"April, do you have any reason to suspect that someone could've deliberately set your house on fire?" John hated asking, especially when this poor woman seemed so jittery, but he needed to know.

She spun around quickly, so much so that John thought she was angry. But instead she had a look of fear on her face as she walked over to her daughter and told her to go up to her room. "I don't really have any reason to think that..." she said slowly. "But this definitely wasn't an accident either."

"How do you know?"

"You're going to think I'm crazy ... but I can't keep lying like this." She took a deep breath and continued. "That night, my sister Susan was staying over. We were sitting in the living room watching a movie when we heard Dani crying. She was about six months old at the time. Anyway, Susan offered to go and check on her for me. Next thing I knew, I was standing in the doorway, watching my sister's body burn on the _ceiling_." Tears were rolling down her face as she remembered. "I quickly grabbed Dani and ran to the neighbour's to call the police."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. There actually _was_ someone who had gone through a similar tragedy – but why? What was so special about Sammy and this woman's daughter?

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Actually, I have no reason not to believe you."

"Thank goodness. I tried to tell my husband what I saw when he came home that night. He thought I was crazy," she gave a little chuckle. "I can't bring myself to tell Dani what happened. I mean, I'm not even sure what happened."

John was tempted to tell her everything then. All that had happened to him and everything that Myles told him about demons and supernatural beings. But what good would it do? It wouldn't bring this poor woman's sister back – it wouldn't bring Mary back. So why was he doing it then? Why did he come here? Why did he search Kansas for unexplainable events? He couldn't really explain it. It was almost like he was being drawn to that world.

Driving back to the inn a few minutes later, John couldn't stop thinking about April and Myles. '_Stop it_,' he told himself. '_You don't belong in that world. There's nothing you can do to help anyone, so just stop thinking about it_!'

The clock on the bed side table read four o'clock as he walked into his room. Tiredly, he made his way over to the bed and plopped down on it. Beside him was yesterday's paper which he hadn't found time to read yet. And seeing as Leanne was already an hour late, he figured he'd have more than enough time to read it twice over before she finally arrived. But to his dismay, John found nothing of interest. And by the time he reached the ads a half hour had passed by.

"Oh, great. That's just what I need," he said, chuckling at one ad in particular.

_**Meet Missouri**_

_Missouri Moseley, a Lawrence local, was deemed a hero Friday morning after assisting the police in the capture of Conner Devine, a small-time thief turned murderer. Ms. Moseley is said to be able to 'have visions'. It was police Captain Jeffery Logan that brought Moseley on to the case._

"_I've been going to Missouri for years," says the Captain. "She's the one that told me I'd be a great cop. And here I am!"_

_Aside from the occasional police case, Moseley also offers her help to anyone who wants it. Her address is 1264 Croxley Lane and she encourages people to come and see her if they need help in any fields. From missing jewellery to the after-life, Missouri can help you._

At precisely five in the afternoon there was a knock on John's room door, waking him up from a restless nap. He mumbled something about being late all the time as he climbed out of bed to answer the door, but he was rendered speechless once he opened the door to reveal a young police officer.

"Can I help you?" John asked. He was slightly doubtful that this very _young_ man was a real police officer. And who can blame him, after meeting Myles?

"Yes, sir," the officer replied in his high, squeaky voice. "Are you Mr. Winchester?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good. I'm here to inform you that the police have finished their examination of your house, sir." The officer began shifting his weight from one foot to the next.

"Really? It's only been a week."

"Er, yes. We have ... uh ... determined the cause of the fire." The young man took a set of keys from his back pocket and handed them to John.

"What was it then?" He couldn't help but wonder what the police thought happened when he knew the truth. At least, he thought he did.

"Faulty wiring, sir. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work." With that the boy turned and scurried away, running into Leanne as he did so.

The older woman ran into the room like there was no tomorrow. She dropped every bag she'd filled with toys just outside the door, and then shoved a crying Sam into John's arms. Dean, walking two steps behind his aunt, managed to enter the room without bumping into her, since she was covering the doorway.

"Have a good time?" John asked, he looked at his boys, expecting to see large cuts and bruises after spending an evening with his irresponsible sister-in-law. Instead, all he found was dirt covering every part of Dean's clothes, face and hands. And Sammy didn't seem to want to be anywhere near the woman.

"No, I did _not_ have a good time!" she snapped, making John smirk slightly. "You know, Johnny, you might want to teach your boys some manners." She was looking directly at Dean as she said this. "Don't they teach them anything at school?"

"Er, they don't go to school yet." John was beginning to wonder is Leanne knew _anything._

_Author's Notes:_

My apologies for the delay on posting. Aside from a little writer's block, I got a new computer that wouldn't let my open any of my old files. I should also tell you that isn't allowing the type of document extension (.docx) I have to use now, so it might be a while before my next update.

-Lizzy


	4. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

Due to my computer messing up on a daily bases, I am getting rid of it. Sadly, I don't have enough money to buy a new computer right now, and I'd rather not use my friends' computers to update my stories. So, I'm leaving this site until further notice. Hopefully I'll be back in a few months, but definitely not before New Year.

Anyway, hopefully when I get back I'll have tons of new chapters for y'all - maybe I'll even be finished by then!

Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it and I hope you'll continue reading my stories when I get back.

I'll miss you all,

Lizzy

_________________________________________________________________________

**I'M BACK! I'M BACK! I'M BACK! I'M BACK!** **I'M BACK!** **I'M BACK!**

Well, in case you haven't heard, I'm back!!! After nine extremely boring months, I finally have a new computer. Unfortunately, this does not mean that all is well. It is going to take me a while to get back to a regular schedule but I hope to have the next few chapters of _Beginning the Hunt _up in a couple of days.

Thanks for being so understanding. I appreciate all the reviews I've gotten and lists I've been put on while I was away. Hopefully they're signs of things to come.

Love y'all,

Elizabeth

P.S. Didn't season three of Supernatural **rock**? :-D


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